The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-10-27


live In Europe and avsid all taxes; the
poar MAJ must live here, and as loRR d he
is CONSUMER he must pay. Even IL the
rioh naa il eeasaRsr he is never con-
sumner In prepertiea to his means 10 the
extent OF the poor man. As q rule, che
POOR man expends all, or nearly all, tbs
income he derives from his labsr for arti,
eles Of consumption for himself and his
family. The rich man expeHds only a
small portion of his income on articles
consumed by himself and his family. OF
all the systems of taxat N ever devised BY
human wit and human sel6shness taxes
On consumption bear hardest on the pool
and lightest ON the rich.
This is true of our internal revenue tax,
and of our tariE tax. The immediate and
inevitable effect ef the internal revenue tax
on whisky, beer or tobacco, is to raise the
price of whisky, beer or tobacco. The i'm.
mediate and inevitable effect of tariff
tax on clothing, or blankets, or dishes is to
raise the price Of those articles. The three
hundred and odd millions of dollars annu.
ally collected on articles consumed by the
people of the United States, means that
they cost them at least that much more
money than they would cost if it were not
for the taxes imposed on them. Now in
this country. as in every other country in
the world, the great majority of the peopla
are either poor OF In very moderate circum.
stances; and as every N an, and woman and
child Is a necessary consumer, it follows that
a very undue proportion of the expenses Of
the government Of the United States is
borne by the poor, ard those who are not
rich. Whether the expenses OF the gov
ernment are heavy or light, this is true.
But surely the fact ought to be borne in
mind, and in every revision of the tax laws
the utmust care should be taken to make
the taxes on necessary articles of consump-
ton as small as is consistent with the Just
requirements of the government. In Ohio,
under our State system, people in only
moderate. comfortable circumstances pay
on'y few dollars tax, and the poor pay
nothing. But under our national tax laws
the people in only moderately comfortable
circumstances, and the absolutely poor, pay
far more than half of all our taxes.
REDUCTION OF TAXES.
Now, m any revision of our tax laws to
secure the reduction of $100,000,000 Of
taxation, the reduction must be made
either in our internal tax on whisky, beer
and tobacco, or In customs duties. Which
shall it be?
Whisky. beer and tobacco are as nearly
pure articles of luxury as any other articles
of human consumption. Under every
civilized government in the world they
are heavily taxed. No one is bound to use
them. They are probably all deleterious.
No one of them, except possibly under un-
usual circumstances, is necessary for life
or comfort. Certainly none of them are
necessary for decency or a rational enjoy
ment of life. The collection of the tax on
them is enforced more fairly, more easily
AID more cheaply than any other tax ever
imposed by the government. It is not
probable that any other tax in equal amount
could be collected wbichinterferes with the
prosecution oof legitimate industries to
such small extent. Everv dollar of the
tax on them goes directly into the treasury.
No consumer complains Of this tax. 1t is
cheerfully paid because, as a rule, no one
is bound to use either whisky, be- or to-
bacco. They 10 not stand in the same re-
lation to human necessities, to life, and
health and comic t, as clothing, or food, OF
athousand other things.
The argument used in favor of repeal
of the internal revenue tax is that it is a
war tax But we still have the burdens of
the war to bear in our pensions and inter
est. If it were not for the war taxes we
still have to pay, we could reduce our taxes
two hundred millions instead of one hun-
dred millions. u The real reason, the only
reason why repeal of the internal revenue
tax is urged, andit would not be urged il
it were not for that, is that by its repeal
the surplus revenue would be got rid of,
and an excuse be obtained for keeping W
the rate of protective tariff duties. That
is the milk in the cocoanut. The Cjncin-
natl Commercial Gazette declares the
repeal of the internal revenue taxes sis a
good protection argument" It honestly
and boldly states the motive which aetuates
every man who advocates the repeal Of
the taxes on spirituous and malt liquors
and tobacco.
Now, if these taxes are not abolished,
the only possible way to lessen taxation il
by reduction of the tariff What objec
tion can ere be to doing that? Between
1846 and 1857 we had the lowest tariff Law
that we have had since the breaking out o.
the war with England in 1872. 1t was {
tariff substantially for revenue only. Dur
ing the per cd embraced between tn 81
years the Mexican war occurred, and tn
expenses of the war we're very large. Blu
even this did not cause any Increase in tn
e l. n A = 4